Gas gun



Juy 26 1927 J. w. KARNER, JR

GAS GUN -2 sheets-sheet 1 FiledV NovQv. 1924 fsf 'fa f l/ a .9 Q2

...I all INVENTOR July 26, 1927.

J. w. KARNER, `.JR

yFiled NOV. 7.' 1924 A2 Sheets-Sheet 2 'A'rroRNEY ,Patented July 26,1927.

UNirEo 4STATES mamie PATENT orf-fries;

JOSEPH W. KARNER, .13.,01 NEW Yoan, N.'Y.

GAS GUN.

appnatmn mea November 7, l1924. serial No. 748,316.

The invention relatesin general to certain limprovements in a gun ofgeneral application designed to fire any kind of a projectile, and the'invention specifically relates 5 to a gun preferably in pistol form anddesigned to discharge a gas or'volatile projectile by the firing of"cartridges contain ing gas producing substances. More definitely definedthe invention relates to firing mechanism in a gun of the type describedand Ato an improved form of l trig er control for such mechanism.

`T ev primary object of the invention is to provide a simple form of`gas gun which will beA ositive in its actuation, which can be casi yand cheaply constructed and which at the same time will feature a neat,well balanced for'mvof pistol simulating a conventional formof pocketrevolver. The in- 0 lvention contemplates the providing of a fire armwhich will accommodate-a plural-p ity of cartridges and which'will 'firethe cartridges from a fixed position successively by the manipulation ofa single trigger mechanism which may be actuated repeated-l ly and untilall the cartridges have been exploded.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a type of gun, articularlyapplicable -when the gun is in tlie form of a plstol, in which thecartridge carrying clip Ais a readily replaceable umt with eachcartridge pobarrels.

Various otherobjects and advantages of the invention will be in partobvious from an inspection of the accompanying drawings and in partwill` be more fully set forth in the following particular description ofone form of mechanism embodying my invention, and the invention alsoconsists in certain new and novel features of construcfilooking at theleftlhand side of the4 except at the dlscharge end ofthe several" tionand combination of parts hereinafter set forth and claimed. In theaccompanying drawings Figure 1 is a plan view looking down upi on apistol illustrating a preferred embodi- Vment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a vertical sectional view taken on the medial line andon'the line 2-2 of Figure 1 showing the hammer in its normal inoperativeposition after it has fired the upper firing pin;

Figure 3 is a view in front end elevation shown in Figure 1.

Figures/4 and 5 are similar 'views of the firing mechanism, and in whichFigure 4 is a view showing the hammer in retracted position just priorto being released; Figure 5 showing the .trigger in its final position,and the hammer released to its firing position;

Figure 6 is a horizontal sectional Yviewtaken through the upper portionof thegun and taken on the line 6-6 of Figure 3;

Figure 7 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 7 7 of Figure 3;

Figure 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Figure4; and

device Figure 9 is a detailedtransverse sectional .view taken on theline 9-9 of "Figure 4, in

each case looking in the direction indicated by the arrows.

In the following description and in the claims, parts will be identifiedby specic names for convenience of expression but they are intended tobe as generic in their application to similar parts asthe art willpermit.

In the drawings there is shown a hand pistol comprising a stock 10,provided with handle 11, finger trigger 12, trigger guard 13, allsomewhat resembling a known form of hammerless revolver. 'The stock ishollow toprovid'e a closed compartment 14 for accommodating firingmechanism 15 actutrigger vmechanism includes the trigger proper 12. Theforward position of the. stock forms. between the two outlining andupstanding walls 17 and 18 thereof, a barrel receiving recess opened atthe top and at its forward end. The rear end of this recess is definedby an upstanding block 19 hereinafter referred to as a breech yated froma trigger mechanism which block which acts as a spacing block betweenthe walls 17 and 18, delines the front end of the chamber 14, the rearend of the barrel clip recess, and is made resilient to provide somerecoil cushioning eifect.

' lock the unit iii position. The unit is intended to include aplurality of barrels 23, three being shown in the drawings, but it isintended that the units shall contain the maximum number of barrels thatcan be carried conveniently, takin into consideration the character ofcartri ge which each barrel is designed to carry and taking intoconsideration the convenient weight of the device as a whole.

In the device illustrated the barrels are designed to receive cartridgescontaining a gas forming substance. 'In order to prevent leakage,thepresent disclosure features a gas tight connection between the unit2O and the stock so as to minimize any accidental leakage rearwardlyfrom the gun.

Mounted in the breech block 19 is a plurality of firing pins 24, one foreach of the barrels and each operatively disposed to fire the cartridgecarried in its associated barrel. The pins are slightly longer than thebreech block, extend transversely therethrough and are lspring f pressedrearwardly, each by means ofa spring 25 designed normally to project therear end 26 of its associated pin 4 into the chamber 14 and in positionto be engaged by a firing hammer 27 forming part of the firingmechanism. lAn renlargement 28 on each pin forms a bearing for one endof the spring 25 and limits the rearward lmovement of the pin underaction of the spring.

The pins are selectively moved into their firing positions by means ofthesingle firing hammer which is pivotally mounted at its lower end upona rocking pin 29 for rocking movement in the lmedial plane of thepiston. The hammer Ais formed of two main arts, a triangular shapedlower supporting ever 304 on the top flat side 31 of which isl.rotatably mounted a cylindrical barrel portion 32. lThe cylindricalportion is rotatably secured inits mounted position by means of anoverhanging L-bracket 33 and which additionallyacts to provide an upperbearing '34 for the cylinder 32. The up- 'standing rear portion 35 ofthis bracket also provides an en aging post for a strong firing spring36 t e upper end of which bears ragainst the hammer' and the lower endof which is removably secured to the stock at 37 as shown moreparticularly in igure 2. A supplemental firing spring, in this caseshown' to be a coiled spring 38 is positioned between the fixed bracketpart 33 and the stock at the upper portion of the hammer.

The cylindrical portion'32 of the hammer is provided with a plurality ofpin receiving apertures 39 arranged in staggered relation consideredboth circumferentially and longitudinally of the barrel and designed sothat when the hammeris in position to engage any one of the firing pins,then the apertures are so located that every other `firing in willproject into one of .the apertures. he apertures are so disposed thatupon each step of a step-by-step rotation of the hammer hereinafterdescribed, the cartridges in the several barrels are fired consecutivelyuntil with either a complete or fractional rotation of the hammer all ofthe cartridges will have been fired.

The hammer portion 32 is rotated in its step-by-step movement by meansof a pawl and ratchet form of progressive feed. The ratchet element isprovidedby means of a series of slots 40 formed in a reduced portion 41of the lcylinder 32 to form a slip tooth construction, such as is shownin Fig'. 8. The teeth 42 so formed are disposed in the path of movementof a ratchet, in Fig. 2 shown to be a lever 43 with a ,nose end 44 forengaging the teeth of the ratchet and maintained in releasablepositionby means of a pawl controlling sprin, r 45. It is understoodfrom this construction that the movement of the hammer from the normalposition in Fig. 4 into the retracted position shown in. Fig. 4 willcause the tooth which at the time is facing the nose 44 to move intoengagement with the relatively fixed nose causing the same to react uponthe cylinder 32 and to rotate the same one step in its rotary movement.

The hammer is moved from its normal positio'n shown in Fig. 2 into itsretracted posi-` tion shown in Fig. 4 and tlie springs 36 and 38 putunder tension by the engagement therewith of the trigger mechanism inits firing movement. 'lhis'trigger mechanism includes the finger piece.-pivotally mounted on the rear portion of which is a push lever 46 havinga rear hammer engaging end 47 and normally raised in the elevatedposition shown in Fig. 2- by means of a spring 47. `The end 47 is causedto ride down a wedge shaped guide piece 48 formed on the underside ofthe breech block 19 and is moved by the action of the linger piece intoengagement vwith a contact face 49 formed on the upper front side of thelever 30. As the trigger vmoves into its limiting position shown inFigure 4, the guide 48 acting on the push lever 46 pushes the same offthe bearing face L9-and causes the end 47 to release itself from thetrigger and to pass into the undercut release 50 delining the lowerfrontI side of the lever 30.4 Releasing the hammer from the holdingeffect of the .trigger mechanism permits spring 36 or firing pi-ns.

A suitable safety catch indicated at 5l is disposed to prevent retreatof the hammer and subsequent possibility of firing the deviceaccidentally.

It is understood that thecbarrel unit may be replaced by a similar unitand the same pistol may be used repeatedly by inserting` another clipwith fresh cartridges for the previously fired clip With its deadcartridges. It is also Within the scope of the disclosure to substitutefor the clip illustrated other clips with different size and characterof barrels so that with the unitary pistol cartridges of different sizesmay be employed.

or different kinds of cartridges may be used, as Where 1t may be desired1n the succesive operations of the trigger .to tire different -projectile.

forms of gases and eventually to fire a solid By means of the devicedisclosed any de'- sired sequence of projected material may be employedsimply by selecting the proper charge clip to give the results desired.Any selectedcombination of projectiles may be. tired simply by thesuccessiveoperation of the trigger. l p

While I have shown and described, and have pointed out in the annexedclaims, certain novel features of my'invention, it. will be understoodthat various omissions. substitutions and changes in the form anddetails of the device illustrated and in its opera-` tion may be made bythose skilled in the art without departing from the spirit of theinvention.

Having thus described my invention` I claim 1. In a gas gun, thecombination of a stock, a combined cartridge clip and barrel unitdemountably inserted in the stock, a breech'block provided with aplurality of firing pins, arranged in superposed order one above theother and one for each cartridge carried by the unit. a springr actuatedhammer rockably mounted and housed in the stock and adapted whenreleased en-A gage the pins, a triggerhaving a push lever` y a breechrotate the hammer with a step-bystep movement.

2. In a gun, the combination of a stock, provided Wlth a recess forreceiving a barrel, block defining the rear end of the recess, a firingpin carried by the breech block and extending therethrough, a hammerrockably and rotatably mounted in rear of the breech block and adaptedto be rocked into engagement With the pin, said hammer having anoperative and an inoperative .rotative position relative to said pin andtrigger controlled means operatively connected to the hammer for movingthe same to and from said operative positions.

3. In a gun, the combination of a plurality of barrels, each adapted toreceive a cartridge, a plurality of firing'pins, one for each barrel, aspring actuated, pi-vot-ally' 'mounted hammer for moving the pins onpositions, a firing mechanism including a hammer of cylindrical formpivotally mounted for rocking movcmentwto and from its firing position,said hammer also n'iounted for rotary movement. about its longitudinalaxis. said cylindricaldiammer provided with circumferentially spacedparts for successively facing the cartridges as theA hammer is rotatedwhereby the Vcartridges are fired successively by the successive rockingand .rotary movements of the hammer. 5. In a gun, the combination of aplurallty of barrels, each adapted to receive a cartridge, a pluralityof tiring pins, one for each barrel, a spring actuated. pivotallymounted hammer for moving the pins on their firing stroke. said hammeralso mounted for rotary -movement'a-nd provided with means controlled bythe rocking movementof the hammer and adapted to be rotated intopositions automatically to engage the different rin'g pins successively.

6. In a gun, the combination of a hammer pivotally mounted for movementto and from-a firing position, a spring bearing di rectly on the hammerin spaced relation to its pivotal mounting for swinging the same aboutits pivotall mounting and for moving the' hammer on its tiring movement,said hammer having a plurality of tiring positions and trigger actuatedmechanism operativelyv connected vfor placing the spring under ten-ysaid last named means including y sion and for moving the hammersuccessively into its several firing positions and means controlled bythe movement of said mechanism into its linal position for releasing thesame automatically from the hammer and for permitting the spring toreact on the hammer and movethe same into its lring position.

7. In a gun, the combination of a cylindrical hammer pivotallymounted'for movement to and from a firing position, said hammer mountedfor rotary movement about an axis intersecting the axis of its pivotalmovement and having on its cylindrical side a plurality ofcircumferentially firing pin engaging points and trigger controlledmechanism for moving the hammer from its iii-ing position andautomatically causing it torotate with a step-by-step pawl and ratchetmovement and spring controlled means for moving the hammer on its tiringstroke when free of said trigger controlled mechanism. y

8. In a gun, the combination of a cylindrical hammer pivotally mountedfor movement to and from l a firing position, said hammer mounted forrotary movement about an axis intersecting the axis of its pivotalmovement and havin on the side thereofa plurality of recesses ormingtherebetween a plurality of firing points and trigger controlledmechanism for movin the hammer from its `ring position an automaticallycausing it to rotate vwith a step-by-step movement.

9. In a as gun the combination of a plurality 'o tiring pins, a springactuated hammer mounted for rocking movement about a pivotal mounting,said hammer including a pin engaging barrel mounted for rotary movementabout its axis in addition to its rocking movement, said axis extendingat right angles to the axis about which the hammer rocks, and saidbarrel provided with means to successively engage the ring pms.

Signed atl N. Y. city, in the county of New York and State of New Yorkthis 22d day of July A. D. 1924.

JOSEPH W. KARNER, JR.

